1) “Elsbeth” debut, 10 p.m., CBS. During the 12 seasons of “Good Wife” and “Good Life,” Elsbeth Tascioni was merely a bonus. A lawyer with a sharp mind and a quirky soul, she did 19 episodes, bringing an Emmy for Carrie Preston and fun for viewers. Now she moves to New York for a weekly mystery. The opener is great fun, centering on Stephen Moyer (shown here with Preston) of “True Blood” as a theater director.
2) “The Color Purple” (2023), 8:35 p.m., HBO. The women here face horrendous abuse, first from Black men, then from whites. But they rise with resilience and song. The result is a magnificent musical, vibrantly directed by Blitz Bazawule. The great cast is led by Fantasia Barrino as the adult Celie, Taraji Henson as Shug and the Oscar-nominated Danielle Brooks as Sofia.
3) “The Tourist” return, Netflix. As other streamers cut back slightly, Netflix builds its dominance. In two weeks, “Girls5Eva” (dropped by Peacock) moves to Netflix for its third season; first, here’s “Tourist” with its second season. It began (on Max) with Elliot (Jamie Dornan) having amnesia. Viewers gradually learned that he’d done bad things. Now he’s on the run in Ireland, Dornan’s home turf.
4) “Ghosts,” 8:30 p.m., CBS. Can someone besides Sam see the ghosts? Jay’s sister (who knows about them, but can’t see them) returns with her boyfriend. He (like Sam) had a near-death experience and the episode is entitled,”He Sees Dead People.” That follows a “Young Sheldon,” with Sheldon and Missy trying to resist their parents.
5) ALSO: “So Help Me Todd” (9 p.m., CBS) has.Margaret defending a lawyer (Sandra Bernhard) she dislikes. And ABC, still two weeks from the “Grey’s Anatomy” opener, has reruns – “American Idol” at 8 p.m. and “Wiill Trent” at 10: Will confers with James Ulster, the imprisoned serial killer whio killed his mom and may be his biological father.
— Mike Hughes, TV America